Month: February 2012

Six Pack Sunday: There’s ALWAYS Time for Wine

/ foodsweatandbeers / 15 Comments

The saddest Sundays are always the ones when you’re in a long distance relationship.  Normally, Sundays are the days of travel, the days of farewell, and the days of planning the next visit.  LUCKILY, I’ve already got plans to see Ryan next week so let’s focus on the past week. Because it seems like the theme was WINE (and lots of it.)  No worries, though, because every now and then, it’s good to mix up a Six Pack Sunday with a little wine.  No worries, craft beer continues to be my jam…  But hey, when in Rome Durham…

1. The Blind Side Wine

Ok, I thought (at first) it was the wine talking. And then I thought maybe it was just the Ole Miss cup.  But check this out.

Note the Ole Miss cup on the bottom left of the image!!

This was our wine tasting/aroma educator, Barbara, at the Science of Wine event at the Museum of Life & Science.  But I just checked it out.  And she looks JUST like Miss Sue from The Blind Side.

TWINS!!

Kathy Bates, you have a wine-o doppleganger and she’s teaching the wine lovers of the Triangle!!

2. Champagne Wishes and Caviar… Nightmares

Oh, you fancy, huh?

Know what goes well with a sparkling wine tasting?

CAVIAR!!

Well, at least, in my opinion.  It’s not something I normally enjoy (Mama isn’t made of money!) but for the fancy Sparkling Wine tasting that Ryan and I enjoyed for our four year anniversary celebration, it was the food pairing for wine #2.  It was also the first caviar Ryan had ever tried.

The verdict?

Bearded bite!

The man was not a fan.

Oh well, more for me.

3. Button, Button, Who’s got the button?

Do any of you celebrate the Summer of Riesling? (Only 129 days left for 2012!!)  Well, it’s one of my favorite things about summer…  And now, thanks to the folks at Six Plates, I’ve got the button to prove it!

Sweet collection

Don’t Fear the Riesling, y’all.

4. Just Call Me Lucy

There’ll be more on this later… But here’s a teaser.

This little piggy went to Sonoma.

5. Never Fail with Kale!

Romance corner: Let's get in it.

I was having a lousy day on Wednesday. You know what made it better?

KALE!

I’d never tried it before and I followed this recipe  for something quick and easy. SO GOOD!  Oh, and incredibly cheap. It was about 34 cents for more than a full serving.

Yes, Kale, I’ll be getting you all the time.

5. Classin’ Up the Joint

Our sparkling wine tasting was at the ever-swanky King’s Daughter Inn located in the heart of Durham.  The digs were luxurious, and I wished that I had the cash money to stay there for a romantic weekend instead of just an hour or two.  However, Ryan and I decided a better way to treat the Marcona almonds paired with Sparkling Wine #1 than just eating them…

Trying to ogle my gullet? Perfect opportunity.

That’s right, we played “catch the almond in your mouth” in a 4-star hotel.

Bingo

Don’t worry, we caught every single one.

6. Love Biscuits

Oh hot damn.

King’s Daughter Inn, you make one hell of a biscuit.

Reading this is making me salivate...

Honey & Cracked Pepper Biscuits, Bacon, & goat cheese?

AHHHH!!

AND Ryan tried (and LIKED goat cheese)!

This was the best decision I’ve had in a while, just saying.

Wine, you ain’t too shabby…. But, don’t worry Craft Beer, you’re still my Valentine.

XOXO

Ever done any fun wine events or tastings?

Favorite food to pair with wine?

Putting the FULL in Fullstreet Wings!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 14 Comments

I LOVE chicken.  I love it roasted, fried, grilled, slow-cooked, and slathered in sauces.

Perhaps my favorite style of chicken consumption is in wing-form.  Wings bring people together, they’re my favorite eats during sports events, and they are actually finger-lickin’ good.  As in I shamelessly lick my fingers every time I eat wings.  The only problem is that, more often than not, they’re deep-fried and loaded with a buttery sauce.  And while that doesn’t negate the tastiness at all (on the contrary), it does stop me from eating wings constantly.

Well, I might be in trouble.

Wing me, baby!

Look unto the works of Carmen from Full Street Wings Cafe, Durham’s newest gourmet chicken wing spot!

These  never-frozen chicken bits are grilled and, trust me, the pictures don’t do them justice.

All smiles, wings for miles!

Carmen Settles, owner and chef, invited a number of folks from the Durham area to show off her delightful drumettes and have a little meet and greet.  She was also spreading the word about her KickStarter campaign which, if you like wings, you should consider donating to… I just love KickStarter, it gives community members the chance to back local projects they’re passionate about and be part of the entrepreneurial process.  Exciting, no?

Just some of the good stuff.

Carmen set out all of her favorite flavors and what kind of wing-eater would I be if I didn’t try them all?

  • Naked (Okay, I lied, I didn’t try this one, but can imagine if it’s anything like the other, it’s a clean crisp and juicy chicken wing)
  • Garlic Herb & Parmesan – Our first wing, the Parmesan and garlic pair up perfectly for a savory, flavorful bite. Delicious.
  • Classic BBQ – Sweet and saucy, though, I’ll admit, it was not my favorite wing.  Not because it wasn’t tasty…. but because the others were beyond tasty.
  • Papi’s Original – A medium heat wing, these are the recipe that Carmen’s father started her off with, and she never looked back. Loved the spices without hitting you in the face with salt.
  • The Full Street – Carmen’s classic wing, these are the closest to a classic wing-heat as I think we tried, and I could eat a dozen. Crisp skin, plump chicken, with all the right spices.
  • Jerky – See that sexy and proud wing on the top of my pile in the picture above? That was the jerky. It was excellent! It was savory with a nice heat, though, obviously a very different flavor than the next one.
  • Just D*%# Hot – The heat on this one was a nice, slow burn. It was a nice “hot” flavor and avoided the gimmicky “THIS IS SO HOT YOU NEED TO SIGN A WAIVER AND MAN VS. FOOD WILL BE HERE IN 15 MINUTES!”  I love this.  I’d probably get a number of these if I were making a big order. I don’t even need blue cheese to cool my mouth down (though I bet it’d be great with some blue cheese!)
  • Honey Hot – Our surprise favorite. I never would’ve thought that the flavors of honey and spice would pair so nicely, mostly since I don’t consume honey all that often.  Honey + chicken + spicy = a sneaky heat that creeps up on your palate and rocks your tastebuds like a hurricane of flavor!  Definitely sucked the bone dry on this wing…

Hungry like the wolf!

I think the best part of this whole experience was the fact that, despite eating 7 large, juicy wings, I didn’t feel sluggish, stuffed, or sleepy after the dining experience. These wings filled me up, but didn’t weigh me down or have me craving the usual post-wing coma.

Seriously, if you have the chance, TRY THESE PUPPIES CHICKIES! And the next step to getting Carmen all around the Triangle is to check out her KickStarter and, if the spirit moves you, donate! Every little bit counts and pushes her closer to the goal of getting a trailer to bring her wings to the masses.

Do you like chicken wings? 

And what’s your favorite flavor of chicken wing sauce? (or, if you’re not a meat-eater, ever try those veggie friendly wingz? I wonder what those are like…)

My First Mixology Class at Spy Raleigh

/ foodsweatandbeers / 9 Comments

Even when the deck seems stacked against you, you can always mix something. -Josh from Spy Raleigh

And, just like that, I was introduced to the World of Mixology. You know me, I’m normally a beer gal. But, let’s be honest, a lady can’t live on beer alone (Well, actually, that might not be true… this guy did it for 46 days.)  But, every now and then, when I’m feeling adventurous, I like a good cocktail.

Lemon or Lemon Drop? Now you don't have to choose!

Unfortunately, my cocktail-drinking abilities are far greater than my cocktail-making abilities. When a Living Social deal popped up for a mixology class, I couldn’t pass it up! And before I knew it (read: this weekend), I was parking outside of Spy Raleigh and rushing in to secure myself a spot in the front row.  Thank goodness I did, because I got one of the last “good seats” at the bar.  Why was I so late?

Is this class BYOB?

I may have been the first lady to check out this Mixology class toting my own beers…  I couldn’t resist stopping at Tasty Beverage Co. across the street!!

Beers aside, though, it was time to get mixing. The bar featured a number of fancy liquors which were all wearing party hats!

All ready for the party!

Josh, our fearless leader, started off by explaining to us how a good cocktail should, like a fine wine (or fine craft beer!!), be experienced like a roller coaster of flavors. You taste one, then the next, and they all merge together in a beautiful, exciting experience for your mouth.  As he was regaling us with tales of mixing gone right, he whipped up a quick and dirty drink that I decided to name the Juicy Fruit (because he said it tasted just like JUICY FRUIT! I’m brilliant.)

Ingredients:

  • 3 Olives Bubble
  • Splash of Cranberry Juice
  • Splash of Ginger Ale
VOILA! And he was right as rain, it tasted like the brief-flavored gum of my childhood.

A whole juicy bunch!

We shared our favorite cocktails, as well as the experiences that made them so special.  I mentioned my Jalapeño Quencher from the Aqua Grill with my cousin on my trip to NYC!  I said that it was the perfect drink to pair with all the smooth, chilled oysters and creamy risotto.

Up next was a crowd pleaser: The Strawbasil Mojito!

Collins is my favorite cocktail glass

This drink, which should be poured into a tall, skinny Collins glass trades the traditional mint in a mojito for an earthier herb: basil! He showed us the importance of muddling and gave us the wise tip: when using fresh fruit, less is more! No reason for a fruit salad in your cocktail, and a little goes a long way.

Here's the recipe, if you're interested!

This light and fruity cocktail was delicious! He used organic fruits, twisted the lime to release the oils inside, and it was just what the doctor ordered.  If the doctor was a bartender.

Up next? A bourbon drink!

Normally, this would make me say BLECH! But when the drink looks like this…

So pretty!!

I tried to have an open mind, because even though Maker’s Mark makes me feel a little ill just saying it, this drink, the Blackberry Blueberry Blast (he said the blackberries at the store looked gross), looked promising. Bitters, blueberries, lime, and cranberry juice. What could go wrong?

Mmmm!

The answer is NOTHING!

This drink made me rethink the use of bourbon in cocktails.

The recipe for all you cocktail aficionados!

Though we didn’t get any real hands-on experience, I loved the idea of opening my mind to mixology, and (if I had a batch of adventurous friends) I’d totally try Josh’s advice, “If you’d like to really try out mixology, get all sorts of liquor and mixers and make a party out of it.”

Anyone wanna throw a party with me?

I swear, I'm a fun guest (despite hating board games)

We can bring party hats for all the liquor bottles. I think I could ask Josh at Spy where we could get some…

Have you ever tried mixology? 

What’s your favorite fancy cocktail? (YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM SAYING SODA + VODKA/RUM/WHISKEY/ETC)

 

 

The Eleven Things I Hate About You (or Me)

/ foodsweatandbeers / 21 Comments

As per usual, I was late to the party.  The tagging party, that is.

Emily over at Eating Chalk tagged me in one of those 11 things memes that’s circulating the internet/blog world. But since I’m late, and it’s not likely that anyone’s even interested in this anymore (and tagging someone this late would probably be a faux pas), I’m going to disobey all the rules.

I’ll start by NOT POSTING THE RULES!

My next move will be to not tag anyone else.  Chances are, by this time, you’ve already been tagged. But if you want me to tag you, you just say the word, and I’ll edit this post SO FAST no one will be the wiser.

The only focus of this post will be 11 things about myself that I don’t like.  Don’t worry, most of it is in jest.  But some will be things I’d like to change about myself.  No reason for a pity party, right?  Let’s get constructive with this criticism.

1. I struggle with self-control, mostly around good foods/drinks.

Uh oh. My kryptonite.

You know how “splurges” are supposed to be brief? And not an all-day/all-night thing?

Because I haven’t really recognized that concept yet.

2. I have a tendency to fall down a lot, and I bruise like a peach.

Just my two cuts I got the NIGHT before my mom's graduation party event.

I ooze class from every pore.

3. Due to an overly competitive side (and lousy hand-eye coordination), I tend to hate “fun” things like bowling, mini-golf, Jenga, or board games. I’m the worst party guest of all.

4. I live hundreds of miles from the people I love most. I hate that a lot.

Never enough time with ANY of them.

5. I make people (namely, Ryan) take pictures of all the ridiculous things I do.  Case in point: wisdom teeth removal. 

*Cue eyeroll*

6. I cry over EVERYTHING.

You name it, I’ve cried at it. Flash mobs. Hearing James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind”. Seeing dogs get extremely happy when their owners come back. Little kids holding hands. This commercial:

7. I’m an ugly crier.

I just watched that commercial.  And then I photographed my reaction.  It’s not gonna be pretty (avert your eyes if you’re sensitive).

I warned you.

(This is ACTUAL me ACTUALLY crying. Yeesh.)

8. I let the scale determine my mood.

That’s a tough one to admit, but, alas, it’s true. Yes, I’ve lost about 40 lbs. Yes, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. But when I step on that scale and it’s not the number I want to see, I get down on myself.  It can potentially be a day- or week-ruiner.

That happened earlier today. I’m trying really hard to not let it ruin my upbeat mood.

9. I have developed quite the sweet tooth.

Note the unadulterated joy as I prepare to blow out a candle...

I blame graduation from college. And maybe a little living with my boyfriend, who fully supported my candy-addiction.  It’s the kind of characteristic you hate to love about him….  Mmmm. Candy. I try to replicate the feeling with fruits.  Sometimes it works.  Others…. not so much.

10. My feet are HUGE!

Is that a ski on your leg? Oh, no, wait, that's your foot.

Size 13 in female shoes, when they make them that big. This is really only an issue when attempting to buy fancy shoes, most of the time I can make due with men’s sneakers and flip flops.  Do they have a store for cross-dressing men that’s also semi-casual? And mostly flats?

11. I can live in a certain amount of squalor.  

And that’s really my current problem. Time to clean house, folks.

(BONUS 12. I only thought of Miley Cyrus when I wrote this title.)

Don’t hate me.

Six Pack Sunday: Gun Rights and Cheese Delights

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

We’ve made it to Sunday, and the Super Bowl looms over us like a guacamole, beer, and chicken wing-filled cloud.  I’m hoping that soon, I’ll make it RAIN (but not actual beer rain… I think that would get gross and sticky really fast.)

Let’s stick with tradition, and make it rain some random bits and pieces with SIX PACK SUNDAY!

1. Right to Bear STYLE!

Looking for the perfect top to wear to that springtime wedding?

Look no further.

Fierce, right?

No, I didn’t buy it.

Yes, I had to fight every urge inside of me not to.  This top is HILARIOUS, but there were definitely a few ladies in the store looking at it genuinely.  Ah, living in the South…

2. BYOB(s)

So I went to a mixology class this weekend. It was fantastic, more on that later.  HOWEVER, I believe I committed the ultimate faux-pas for a a cocktail mixology class.

Classiest of all attendees

That’s right, I brought my own 3-pack of craftbeer from Tasty Beverage Co. across the street.  I may or may not have been more excited for the beer than the mixology class.  Luckily, over the course of the hour of the class, my mind changed.

I’m still excited for the beer.

3. Just Add It to the List

I don’t know about any of the rest of you that write blogs, but I know I can’t be alone.  I have a “List”. A list of things I’d love to write long, detailed (and probably hilarious) posts about…. but I’m just not ready to share quite how often I think about gross, weird, or vulgar.  Here’s a hint, though.

Bior-YAY!

If I could talk about the joy I get from seeing the nasty stuff that these pore-cleansing strips pull out of my skin for hours, I would.

But I just don’t know if you all need the gory details of what lies deep inside my pores.  Or my mind.

Trust me, it’s not pretty.

4. Kids These Days

Eek.

Spotted inside of a middle school: The Hydroponics Lab for kids!

Is this not sitting right with anyone else?

I’m just wondering how many kids are watching Weeds these days.  Apparently, too many.

5. Cheese, Please.

Three words: Grilled Cheese Party.

Sweet gods of cheese

I’ve never seen a more beautiful cheese drawer.

MAKE THIS YOUR NEXT PARTY!

6. SALE! (Sale?)

Ummmm….

Que?

Stopped by The Fresh Market for a few knick knacks the other day.

You know what’s NOT a sale?  Negative ten cents.

You’re doing it wrong, Fresh Market.

Do you have a “list” of topics that you aren’t quite ready to share with the world?  

How about a sweet gun-shirt?

 

 

Egg in a Bag and BodyAttack

/ foodsweatandbeers / 10 Comments

Ah, that old adage… A failure to plan (for breakfast) is a plan for (breakfast) failure.

While my standard fitbook breakfast entry says “Cereal + Almond Milk” with a smiley face next to it, I came to a crossroads in the middle of the week.  I tilted my cereal box as far as it would go, then, panic on my face, yanked the plastic bag out of the box.

It was as empty as my heart was the moment I realized I was cereal-less in Seattle Durham.

Silly me, I’d forgotten to pick up my usual box of cereal on my last Trader Joe’s trip so, while my almond milk flowed like water, a girl can’t live on milk, alone.  Thus was born my Open Faced Egg Sammy.

I knew I had a few eggs at home, but I like to eat my breakfast at 8:30 am, despite my arrival at work around 8 am (something about a pre-8:30 breakfast doesn’t work in my tummy). And since we don’t have a stove-top in my tiny office, I had to improvise.

Doggie Bag? No, Eggy Bag.

Since all of my tupperware was in use holding goodies like beans, carnitas pork, avocado, etc, this Fresh Market bag was the mode of transportation for a single fried egg.

That’s right, the only thing in that bag is an egg.

My coworkers sort of rolled their eyes, and were probably just glad that I wasn’t wearing a feather boa.

Luckily, my office DOES have a toaster.  And I also brought some spinach, and VOILA!

Topless breakfast!

I used a toasted everything Bagel Thin, some Laughing Cow spread, and spinach, topped the party with my totable egg, and didn’t miss the cereal a single bit.  In fact, it felt a little bit like a special treat on a weekday.  I gotta find more ways to enjoy eggs at work.

Can you microwave cook an egg without any special holder?

Bueller?

In other news, BodyAttack #75 was even MORE intense than last week (I think because I now have an understanding of the moves).

Boom, baby.

56 minutes, 843 calories, and an average HR of 165!!  As you can tell, the end is the ab track and the cooldown track, I don’t just get super lazy around 53 minutes.  I do, however, start to get insanely sweaty at about 16 minutes.

It’s for this reason that I always bring my own, full-sized towel to the gym. Whether or not I shower at the gym, I normally leave looking like someone just poured the post-game Gatorade all over me.  This translates to my signature post-gym outfit.

Always fierce, Always wins spring fling queen

You might be wondering “Is that a fashionable scarf?”

The answer is “No, friend, you need to have your eyes checked out.”  Because I rock the towel scarf every.single.day.

Despite the fact that it’s not a pashmina, I still get noticed by all the major fashionistas in the Triangle area.  Especially the little girl in the grocery store who (not-so-quietly) asks her mom “Why’s that lady wearing a towel in the store?” and points her bony finger at me.

Don’t worry, I didn’t get mad, point back and say “HEY, lady, who’s the tiny curious critter clinging to your pant-legs? WHY’S SHE SO SMALL?” though I may have wanted to…  I simply smiled and said “Well, it gets pretty cold in grocery stores, and I didn’t have a blanket.”  She giggled, and walked away with mommy dearest.

I just hope that, due to my powerful influence on her life, someday she’s toting fried eggs to work and towel-scarves to the store.

I’m basically a role model.

Any sweet in-office egg cooking methods for me to try?

 

Eggplant Stack Attack!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

You know what I don’t use enough of?

a. My grill pan.

b. My loaf pan.

c. Eggplants.

d. All of the above

If you guessed d, you might already have an idea of what I whipped up for dinner the other night.  One of this week’s goals in my fitbook was to try a “Meatless Monday” this week. It had nothing to do with plans to be vegetarian or vegan (I have 3 pounds of pork in the slow cooker right now, and just used bacon grease to cook my beef burger for dinner).

Might as well be a burger. (not.)

Part of the move followed an episode of The Chew from last week, in which the entire hour was devoted to meat-free meals and snacks, which is normally what they mock Daphne Oz for pushing.  But as often as I’m laughing AT Daphne and not with her, I like the idea of reducing my carbon footprint.  It’s so hot, right now (by it, I mean the Earth… global warming and all).

It was actually easier than I thought it’d be due, in part, to the fact that I can’t resist a good deal on a giant purple fruit tube.

Sorry tube, you go in a tummy

I cut the eggplant into slices and pretended that they were like the noodles in a lasagna.  This is especially important to note because I don’t really love lasagna all that much.

But I loved this meal.

Sauce Boss

I loved it even more when the cheese melted.

Loaf Pans are supposed to be full of cheese, veggies, and sauce. Never bread. Is that right?

So I missed that part of the Healthy Living Summit where everyone learned to write perfect, printable recipes.  Here’s what you get, instead:

Ingredients

  • 8 slices of giant eggplant (cut relatively thick)
  • Sauteed spinach (I prefer fresh, but have tried it with frozen and it worked A-ok!)
  • Sauteed onions, peppers, or whatever you like (If I ate olives, I bet there would’ve been some in there)
  • Mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese
  • Sauce (Sockarooni if you’re a smarty)
  • Crushed red pepper and oregano
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a loaf pan with some cooking spray (I like the Olive Oil kind)
  2. Grill those eggplant slices.  I did it in olive oil and salt and pepper, on a grill pan.
  3. Layer them in a loaf pan, four across.
  4. Top THAT layer with your sauteed spinach and veggies.
  5. Top THAT layer with a sprinkling of parmesan and mozzarella.
  6. Repeat steps 2-4 again
  7. Top the final layer of cheese with a flew blobs of sauce
  8. Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes-ish, or just check it periodically until you like the “done-ness” of it all.
  9. Spatula it out of your loaf pan, cover it in crushed reds, and serve!

    You should have about 2 servings, so save one for the next day’s leftovers (it just gets better after a night in the fridge).

Certainly won’t be featured in the Joy of Cooking anytime soon, but that’s exactly how I did it.

Hot enough for ya?

What’s your favorite “Meatless Monday” recipe?

Share, it’s a new thing for me! I’m always late to the party (especially when the party has no meat.)